Qi Refining Level 3

After politely declining Qin Hui's offer, Gu Fan turned and left the Service Hall.

Like Tang Yuan, Qin Hui also had a matchmaking business, which Gu Fan hadn't expected.

This also shows that aristocratic families have a strong desire for outstanding seedlings.

Gu Fan's refusal was not unexpected by Qin Hui. After all, talented disciples are often proud and naturally unwilling to settle down with a partner too early.

Therefore, Qin Hui remained calm and only said that if Gu Fan changed his mind, he could come to find him.

Before leaving, the two chatted for a few more minutes, which helped Gu Fan figure out the identity of the Uncle Xu he had seen outside the hall.

According to the rules of the Lingxiao Sect, after outer disciples have established their foundation, they can join the inner sect and become inner disciples. The seven strongest among the many inner disciples are selected as true disciples.

The true disciples are trained to become the sect leader and the heads of each peak. On a daily basis, most of the sect's affairs, large and small, are discussed and decided by the seven true disciples. Only major matters need to be reported to the sect leader.

That Uncle Xu, whose real name is Xu Changsheng, is a candidate for the next generation of true disciples. Not only does he have an earth spiritual root, but he also cultivates a high-grade technique, which is the "Divine Firmament Langhuan Golden Book" that Meng Wei has been longing for.

A few days ago, a vicious dragon appeared in the Cloud Mist Sea. It is said to have the bloodline of a demon beast that can transform into human form. It devoured many disciples, including members of cultivation families.

Xu Changsheng was ordered to go out and chased the evil dragon for three days in his chariot. He returned with the dragon's head cut off, which was very gratifying.

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan couldn't help but sigh, thinking that heroes of the world were as numerous as carp crossing a river, and his fighting spirit was ignited.

Who isn't a genius at some point?

After leaving the Hall of Duty, Gu Fan went to the Hall of Immortal Offering again, exchanged the remaining merit points for talisman paper and ink, and then stayed in the courtyard to concentrate on drawing talismans, only going out once a month when he gave a sermon at Shenji Peak.

As for earning merit through blacksmithing, he abandoned that idea.

Compared to the speed at which crafting talismans earns merit points, blacksmithing seems to have a very low cost-effectiveness.

"Blacksmithing? That's something only uncouth people do!"

"With our extraordinary wisdom, of course we should choose to draw talismans!"

With these thoughts in mind, Gu Fan plunged headfirst into the sea of ​​runes.

With the aid of the All-Seeing Eye, Gu Fan's success rate in drawing talismans was maximized; the only limitation was his divine sense.

To avoid interfering with his Qi gathering cultivation, Gu Fan limited the number of spirit talismans he produced each day to five, spending the rest of his time studying Daoist texts and runes, as well as practicing spells.

Two more months passed, and Gu Fan successfully accumulated thirty merit points. After much deliberation, he decided to use them all to buy pills and improve his cultivation level.

Once he reached the third level of Qi Refining, Gu Fan prepared to try drawing a mid-grade first-level spirit talisman.

......

Early morning at Lingxi Peak.

The rosy dawn rises from the edge of the sea of ​​clouds, painting the sky a golden hue.

Gu Fan sat cross-legged on the futon, refining the last bit of spiritual energy. His body trembled slightly, and after a few moments of meditation, he slowly opened his eyes.

"You've reached the third level of Qi Refining."

It took a full year to go from the first to the second level of Qi Refining, but only half a year to go from the second to the third level. This is the difference caused by the resources available for cultivation.

With the breakthrough in his cultivation, his magical power and divine sense were enhanced once again, giving Gu Fan a sense of relief from his troubles.

Extending his palm, with a slight thought, a flame rose from his palm.

As the flames surged, they constantly changed shape, sometimes transforming into a leaping ape, sometimes into a flaming sparrow spreading its wings, and finally into wisps of fire, totaling more than three hundred.

Even now, Gu Fan still cannot achieve the same ever-changing effects with the flames in his hands as Li Kunyuan, but he has finally glimpsed a glimmer of hope.

If anyone could hear his thoughts, they would surely laugh: a disciple in the early stage of Qi Refining actually compared to a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

However, Gu Fan always aimed to master the fire control techniques demonstrated by Li Kunyuan and continued to practice them.

After extinguishing the flames in his hand, Gu Fan stared blankly at the horizon for a moment.

Since joining the Lingxiao Sect, he has not been home for a long time. Counting the days, the anniversary of his parents' death in this life is approaching.

Although he awakened his memories of his past life, he was a lonely person in his previous life. Only after reincarnation did he truly feel the warmth of family affection, but unfortunately, they were separated forever.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Fan decided to go down the mountain and return home to pay his respects.

At least it can comfort my parents about what I've been through over the years.

......

Yunzhou, the city of Haifeng.

Haifeng City is located on the outer edge of the Cloud Realm Mountains, near the Cloud Mist Sea, making it the closest human city to the Lingxiao Sect.

Because of its proximity to the coast, merchant ships from the Chen Kingdom across the sea often came here to trade, making Haifeng City a very prosperous trading port for both countries.

Gu Fan, dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe, walked along the city streets. The crowds around him were like a tide, with children's soft laughter, vendors' cries rising and falling, and brothels with red sleeves swaying and the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments filling the air.

Unfortunately, Gu Fan had absolutely no interest in any of these things!

The Lingxiao Sect has no shortage of female disciples. Although few are as stunning as Long Ying, they are all quite charming with the nourishment of spiritual energy.

Ordinary women and women could not disturb Gu Fan's Daoist heart.

As for why Gu Fan came to Haifeng City, it was to redeem his mother's belongings.

Back then at Zixiao Temple, Gu Fan was forced to pawn a piece of his mother's belongings after running out of money. He came here to redeem it.

In addition, the strange Taoist inscriptions on the silver ingot made Gu Fan particularly alert, and he wanted to find out more.

Thinking of this, Gu Fan's face darkened. He looked up and saw a shop called "Treasure Pavilion" and stopped.

Treasure Pavilion is a famous shop in Sea Breeze City with a history of nearly a century. It not only sells all kinds of rare and exotic goods, but also runs a pawn shop.

As soon as Gu Fan stepped inside, a shopkeeper dressed in a wealthy man's robe greeted him with a broad smile.

"It is an honor for our humble establishment to have such a distinguished guest."

The scholar's robe Gu Fan was wearing was made of exquisite fabric, a tribute presented to the Lingxiao Sect by the royal family of Wei. The shopkeeper immediately recognized its extraordinary nature and naturally treated him with utmost courtesy.

The shopkeeper led Gu Fan to a seat, then instructed a maid to serve tea. He then bowed respectfully and asked, "My surname is Huang, my given name is Dewang, and I am the shopkeeper of Zhenbaoge. May I ask your honorable surname, sir?"

Gu Fan said calmly, "No need for formalities. My surname is Gu. I pawned something at your shop two years ago, and I've come here today to redeem it."

After speaking, Gu Fan took out a receipt from his sleeve, which was the one left from the pawnshop that day.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper respectfully took the receipt, glanced at it briefly, and said softly, "Please wait a moment, sir."

After saying this, the shopkeeper called over a waiter, who took the receipt and left in a hurry.

A moment later, the waiter returned, carrying a sandalwood box.

The shopkeeper stepped forward and opened the box, inside which was an antique-style jade hairpin, its entire body translucent green, carved with a crane about to take flight, exceptionally lifelike.

"Sir, is this the jade hairpin?" he asked, pointing to the jade hairpin.

"Not bad." Gu Fan nodded slightly, reached for the jade hairpin, and after confirming it was intact, took out a gold leaf from his sleeve, placed it on the tea table, and said, "This should be enough to redeem it, right?"

"Enough, enough!" Manager Huang smiled broadly, confirming that Gu Fan was indeed a wealthy patron. He didn't collect the gold leaves from the tea table, but instead asked, "My shop has quite a few rare items. Would you like to take a look, sir?"

This was exactly what Gu Fan wanted to hear, and he immediately nodded and said, "What rare and interesting things do you have? Please take them out and let me see."

Upon hearing this, Manager Huang smiled even more broadly and whispered a few instructions to the shop assistant.

A moment later, several maids came in one by one, carrying trays and showing the items on them.